Larkin Landscape and Design

About Larkin Landscape and Design

The wooded ravines dropping down toward Raccoon River Park hold onto snow differently than the open streets above them — shaded, slower to melt, quicker to glaze over by afternoon. Larkin Landscape and Design works the neighborhoods that back up against those ravines, clearing driveways that slope down toward the tree line where the sun barely reaches in January. Front walks get opened up to bare pavers, and salt goes down heavier on the north-facing stretches that stay slick the longest. The park's own trails go untouched — that's not the job — but the streets feeding into it get cleared early enough that runners and dog walkers have a solid curb to start from. It's quiet work in a quiet corner of West Des Moines, wrapped up well before the rest of the city notices the storm's over.